RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing REACTION - The Michael Knowles Show

Summary4 min read

The Michael Knowles Show: RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing REACTION
Release Date: January 29, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles | Podcast: The Michael Knowles Show | Publisher: The Daily Wire

Introduction

In the January 29, 2025 episode of The Michael Knowles Show, host Michael Knowles provides a comprehensive analysis of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s (RFK Jr.) recent confirmation hearings for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Knowles delves into the dynamics of the hearing, highlighting key moments, political maneuvers, and the implications of Kennedy's potential confirmation for both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Overview of the Confirmation Hearing

Michael Knowles opens the discussion with a positive outlook on RFK Jr.'s performance during the confirmation hearings. He expresses confidence in Kennedy's ability to secure the position, noting, “[RFK Jr.] performed very, very well” (00:00). Knowles anticipates that Kennedy’s confirmation is nearing certainty, barring any unforeseen last-minute developments.

Democratic Opposition

Knowles critiques the vehement opposition Kennedy faced from Democratic senators, particularly focusing on Senator Ron Wyden. He states, “Very hostile questioning from Democrats. Ron Wyden is the ranking chairman for the Democrats on the committee … he didn't really land a blow on him” (00:00). Knowles suggests that despite aggressive tactics, the Democrats failed to corner Kennedy effectively.

Role of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

A pivotal moment in the hearing, according to Knowles, was the behavior of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Despite being a Democrat and an old acquaintance of Kennedy, Whitehouse refrained from aggressively questioning him. Knowles interprets this as a signal of potential bipartisan support, stating, “Whitehouse tipping his hand saying, look, I'll let this go through” (00:00). He emphasizes the significance of Whitehouse’s restraint, suggesting it could influence undecided Republican senators.

Republican Strategy and Performance

Knowles praises the Republican senators for their strategic, albeit less aggressive, approach during the hearings. He remarks, “softball questions from the Republicans” (00:00), indicating that Republicans were cautious yet effective in their questioning. This measured approach, according to Knowles, contributed to maintaining unified support for Kennedy within the party.

Controversial Moments: SSRIs Inquiry

A notable contentious moment in the hearing involved a Democratic senator's questioning of Kennedy regarding his stance on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Knowles criticizes the senator's approach: “she went after Bobby Kennedy … in this unhinged rant, screeching, screaming” (00:00). He argues that the senator’s personal admission of being an SSRI user undermined her arguments against Kennedy’s critiques of these medications. Knowles concludes that such moments were more damaging to the Democrats' position than beneficial.

Key Issues: Abortion Stance

The crux of the confirmation debate, as highlighted by Knowles, revolves around Kennedy's stance on abortion. He explains, “the big holdup was over abortion” (00:00), noting that Kennedy, despite his Democratic background, has taken pro-life positions aligning with Catholic teachings. Knowles points out that this alignment is crucial given Kennedy's Catholic faith and the Republican Party's pro-life stance. He asserts, “every abortion is a tragedy … Kennedy will protect life at HHS” (00:00), emphasizing the importance of Kennedy’s position for conservative voters.

Outcomes and Implications

Knowles posits that Kennedy’s probable confirmation represents a significant victory for Republicans and a setback for Democrats. He states, “overall, I think a big win for Kennedy, big win for the Republicans, Democrats hardest hit” (00:00). This outcome, according to Knowles, reinforces the administration’s pro-life agenda and may strengthen the Republican Party's cohesion on key issues.

Conclusion and Tease for Next Episode

Wrapping up his analysis, Knowles reiterates his confidence in Kennedy’s confirmation, barring any last-minute controversies. He mentions past personal scandals involving Kennedy, such as affairs and addiction, but notes that these have not historically derailed his nominations. Knowles concludes by teasing the next episode, where he will discuss “the one big mistake Bobby Kennedy made during the hearings” at 8:30am Central Daily Wire (00:00).

Notable Quotes:

“[RFK Jr.] performed very, very well.” (00:00)
“Whitehouse tipping his hand saying, look, I'll let this go through.” (00:00)
“she went after Bobby Kennedy … in this unhinged rant, screeching, screaming.” (00:00)
“every abortion is a tragedy … Kennedy will protect life at HHS.” (00:00)
“overall, I think a big win for Kennedy, big win for the Republicans, Democrats hardest hit.” (00:00)

This episode offers listeners a thorough breakdown of RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearing, providing insights into the strategic interactions between Democrats and Republicans, the significance of personal relationships in the political arena, and the overarching impact of Kennedy's potential appointment on the current political landscape. For those who missed the live airing, Knowles ensures that the key takeaways and analyses are accessible for informed discourse.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
Michael Knowles
Rfk Jr's confirmation hearings for HHS Secretary are over. Here's my immediate reaction. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good. I thought Kennedy, with one exception, which we'll get into on the show tomorrow, I thought he performed very, very well. Very hostile questioning from Democrats. Ron Wyden is the ranking chairman for the Democrats on the committee or ranking member rather. And I think he sounded more like Ron Winan. Am I right? Am I right? Huh? But he didn't really land a blow on him. The best part about the hearing, as far as I'm concerned, came from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Sheldon Whitehouse is a Democrat senator, but he's an old buddy of RFK Jr. So it puts him in a really tough position because Kennedy's confirmation is supposed to be party line. This is going to be the white shirts versus the red shirts. That's going to be the vote. Except that Bobby Kennedy is a Democrat and he's from the Kennedy family, which is one of the most prominent Democrat families in the country. And he's got long standing Democrat ties, one of them apparently to Sheldon Whitehouse. To me, the signal that Sheldon Whitehouse will vote for Kennedy if it comes down to it, if enough Republicans defect came in his refusal to ask Kennedy a question. So if you were just listening to the tone or even just listening to White House's words, you would say, oh man, this guy's really going after Kennedy, man. He's got a lot of complaints about Kennedy. But, but notice what he didn't do. He didn't ask him any questions. All the other Democrat senators were trying to catch Bobby Kennedy in a screw up. White House opened his questioning, he said, and listen, I've got a lot of concerns. You're just gonna have to listen to me. Which was a great gift to Kennedy because there's no gotcha moment there. So to me that was Whitehouse tipping his hand saying, look, I'll let this go through. If you lose Collins, if you lose Murkowski, if you lose McConnell, if it really comes down to it, I'll vote for him. The most ridiculous part of the hearing was this woman, what's her name, Tina something, some cenotrix that no one had ever heard of. And she went after Bobby Kennedy because Kennedy was criticizing SSRIs on some podcast or in some paper or sometime years ago. He pointed out that he's got members of his family who are on SSRIs, there's mental illness in the Kennedy family. And he said there's some real questions about It. I mean, now it's. What is it? One in five American women or on SSRIs, and they've got all of these negative side effects. And it's just. I don't know, there are a lot of questions about it. So this woman goes out there, she says, in this unhinged rant, screeching, screaming, not seeming like the most stable person. She said, and I've been on SSRIs, and essentially I'm the proof that SSRIs work. I think that undercut her argument. Okay, just judging by her line of questioning, I would probably ban SSRIs from ever being used anywhere in the country. Otherwise, you had softball questions from the Republicans. We were waiting to see if an Republicans were gonna tip their hand that maybe they weren't gonna vote for Kennedy. It all went perfectly fine. They were starting to get into the weeds. Even the way Elizabeth Warren is pretty tough in these hearings. Even the way Elizabeth Warren was talking, she seemed to be questioning him as if he were gonna get the job, to try to get him on record to say, will you go work for the pharmaceutical industry after you leave hhs? To which Kennedy replied, no, they hate me. There's no, don't worry about that lady. And she was trying to nail him on some other things. But it was. It was as if it were already a fait accompli that Kennedy were going to get the job. So I felt fairly confident going into the hearing that Kennedy would be approved, especially after Pete Hegseth sailed through. Hegseth was really the canary in the coal mine for the controversial nominees. Now we're getting to Tulsi Kash Patel and Bobby Kennedy. I think Kennedy is going to make it through, barring some unforeseen last minute surprise. And I don't know what kind of last minute surprise is there with Kennedy. We've heard about the affairs, we've heard about his heroin addiction. We've heard about all that kind of crazy story stories over the years that hasn't tanked his nomination. So then the last question for the Republicans is, will Kennedy be good for us? Do we conservatives want Kennedy to be the HHS secretary? And the big holdup was over abortion. Kennedy is a Kennedy. He is a Democrat. He has been pro abortion for his whole public life. The Democrats really tried to nail him on this in order to drive a wedge between Kennedy and the Republicans and pry away some GOP votes. Not the squishy votes, but actually the conservative votes. And Kennedy said, I think every abortion is a tragedy. I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy. And this contradicts previous statements he's said. But what we know about Kennedy is that Kennedy is at least ostensibly a Catholic and Kennedy is a Democrat. He comes from a big Democrat family. And those two things are in opposition, especially on the issue of abortion, which the Catholic Church teaches is not just one issue among many, but is a non negotiable fundamental right from which all the other rights emanate and on which the other rights depend. I know for a fact Kennedy used to go to the church that my grandmother went to for 60 years. Okay? So I know that he actually does take it somewhat seriously. And it seems that between his two conflicting religions of liberalism and Catholicism on this issue now, especially with the political pressure from the Republicans, he seems to be leaning more into the latter, which is good. And I feel confident, especially with this administration, the most pro life administration ever, that Kennedy will protect life at hhs, especially knowing some of the other people who are in the department. So overall, I think a big win for Kennedy, big win for the Republicans, Democrats hardest hit. We will go into the specific moments and what this means and the one big mistake Bobby Kennedy made during the hearings tomorrow on the Michael Knowles show, 8:30am Central Daily Wire. And you can get it afterward here on YouTube.